The Graduate College of Psychology and Humanistic Studies welcomes you

Welcome to all who seek to explore what it means to be human in the 21st century and who desire a person centered or humanistic education that values our relationship with each other and the planet. Our goal is to support personal and cultural transformation that leads to the co-creation of a genuinely just, humane and sustainable future. Together with our faculty, students, alumni, and staff I invite you to join our community of scholar-practitioners.

Originally founded as the Humanistic Psychology Institute in 1971, and known for more than three decades as Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center, the College of Psychology and Humanistic Studies has been the world’s premier educational institution dedicated to humanistic scholarship for nearly 40 years. It has been the intellectual home for generations of scholars who sought to make a difference in the world through practice, and for practitioners who sought to take their work to the next level through education.

This college we fondly call PHS is the holder of the legacy that sources the mission and values of Saybrook University and all its colleges. Its faculty can trace their roots directly to the thought leaders who created the humanistic tradition – in humanistic psychology, in human science, in mind-body medicine, and in organizational systems and leadership. Our faculty are first generation offspring of these titans of the humanistic tradition who in turn have shaped the second and third generations of this tradition’s leaders. These three generations of humanistic scholars are now educating the next generation of humanistic scholars and practitioners who are needed now, more than ever before, to effect a transformation in the values that drive our society and culture.

A basic assumption of the humanistic approach states that each individual has a unique role and influence in the world.

We offer then a variety of programs and concentrations to help each student find the program that will help them achieve their unique calling. Each of our major programs is like a garden that has a variety of programs and concentrations within them. Please take time to browse. One offers clinical psychology paths while another offers non-clinical psychology paths. A third offers paths in human science studies while another offers paths dedicated to working with organizational systems. Here is a rich variety of programs to serve a marvelous mixture of students.

I list below the degree programs by area. As you wander through their web pages you will see ways that concentrations and certificate programs can further enrich your studies. I encourage you to take your time and “smell the roses.” If I can be of any help, please contact me at rschmitt@saybrook.edu.

All the best with your explorations.

Bob Schmitt, Ph.D.

Dean of Saybrook’s College of Psychology and Humanistic Studies/Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, Saybrook University